The waiting game has begun for the families and candidates who did the two-day entry examination in a bid to qualify for the Malua Theological College.

The aspiring church ministers who sat the Malua Theological College entrance exam will now have to wait until October to get the results of the exams that they sat. 

The two-day examination is the standard criteria for those in the Congregational Christian Church Samoa (C.C.C.S.) who want to offer their life to serve God as church ministers.

Held at the Malua Theological College Fale Mafutaga, families and friends who did the exams assembled in Malua to cheer and pray for their loved ones, as they take the first step to entering the theological college. 

According to the Vice Principal of the College, Reverend Makesi Ne'emia, a total of 49 candidates sat the entrance exams this year and hope to commence their studies in Malua next year. 

He added that the majority of those who undertook the exams in Samoa are first-timers, though the total number of candidates does not include those from New Zealand, Australia, Hawaii and America. 

The Samoa Observer understands the Malua Theological College Principal, Reverend Dr. Vaitusi Nofoaiga traveled to Australia to supervise the exams for interested candidates currently resident in Australia. 

Candidates from outside of Samoa also undertook the entrance exam on the same date it was held here in Samoa which was Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. 

Reverend Ne'emia confirmed that the number of those who took up the challenge to sit the entrance exam this year has increased compared to the total number of those who sat the exam last year. 

He also noted that there were 51 candidates who showed interests to take this year's entrance exam but only 49 showed up. 

Therefore, it is now up to the Executive of the Board of Malua to review the cases for those who failed to show up on the scheduled exam days.

The Executive of the Board will then decide whether they should be granted an opportunity to re-sit the exams, depending on the circumstance and reason behind them not doing the exams on the allocated dates. 

Those who just failed to show up on the allocated days of the exams will be given a three-year ban from sitting for the entrance exam before they can reapply.

All candidates for the theological college who sat the entrance exam will have to wait until October for the names of the successful applicants to be announced.

They will then have to wait for a stringent interview process (ta'utinoga) in January next year. 

The interview will be conducted by the High Council of the C.C.C.S., which is the Board of Malua and the Elders Committee to test the character and attitude of the successful candidates before they can officially enter the college. 

The criteria also includes a medical certificate to ensure candidates have a clean bill of health before they begin their four-year journey at Malua.